Flea markets help smaller companies in Bengaluru

Bengaluru scores higher in this business compared to other metros, say flea curators as not only does it have buyers who are willing to experiment with products, it also has many backyard workshops, studios.Ipsita Basu | ET Bureau | October 12, 2016, 11:18 IST

BENGALURU: Looking for that one-ofa-kind handcrafted fun t-shirt for a price that is affordable? Then, head to one of the numerous flea markets or bazaars that are dotting the Bengaluru events calendar as festival season slips in. Flea markets have become a way of life for shoppers in Bengaluru and a great platform that offers small, artistic products to grow into brands to reckon with while not paying escalating commercial rentals in the city.

Asha Rao, 62, founder of Sunday Soul Sante, has been curating flea markets since 1997. In 2010, she decided to turn her flea into a bigger format since “there were too many bright and enterprising artists and entrepreneurs who needed a platform.“ From 100 stalls, Soul Sante now has 300 vendors participating in their fleas, stalls for which are booked within 48 hours of dates being announced, says Rao.

"We are very particular about who we showcase at the Soul Sante.While some vendors are old-timers with us, we always ask ourselves, 'will I buy this product', for selecting the Sante sellers," she says. Brands like Chumbak, Urban Ladder, Graphicurry, Flames of the Forest that started showcasing their products from Sunday Soul Sante are now businesses of their own, shares Rao, who is taking the Sante to Hyderabad, Goa and Mumbai this coming season.

Hetal Majithia, 37, founder Flea080, has organised 72 markets in Bengaluru in the past three years. "Unlike in the West, flea markets here don't sell second-hand or used products. The focus is on quirky products that are not to be found in branded shops,“ she says. Social media and word-of-mouth where startup brands and artists recommend each other form the ecosystem behind curation. "The idea is to deliver an experience through various themes by mixing products, workshops, artists. The key is innovating these experiences constantly as they get copied by other fleas," adds Majithia.

Dipti Varma Narain, 34, founder of The Silver Surfers Club, hosts the retro-themed flea Silver Surfers two to three times in a year. What started as a social experiment in 2014 to offer active seniors a platform to market their home businesses that range from products to homecooked food is today a community that has extended itself to a club for seniors, customised holidays and workshops.

Bengaluru scores higher in this business compared to other metros, say flea curators as not only does it have buyers who are willing to experiment with products, it also has many backyard workshops, studios, boutiques and small units that make their products locally. "From housewives to students, entrepreneurs, there are so many innovative products here that artists and stalls from Bengaluru are now being invited to other cities to sell their unique merchandise," Majithia says.